Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 15 October 2026 – The African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM) has moved from its pilot phase to a fully-fledged continental programme, with eight African Union Member States having signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to participate in the initiative. Another 15 countries have expressed intent to join the initiative, and the Africa…
US President Donald Trump shows the crowd an executive order he just signed during a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, on October 5, 2026. Kent Nishimura | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump has allowed the use of cheaper red-dyed diesel, typically reserved for farm operations, to be…
Drones have become a primary mechanism of warfare on many fronts around the world. Those fronts range from the war between Russia and Ukraine to the conflict between the United States and Iran. Drones are used to achieve air superiority, a reconnaissance advantage, and highly precise strategic strikes along the front lines. Those strikes range…
Nigeria’s nine scheduled airlines failed to make Africa’s top 10 in the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards, as high operating costs and weak passenger demand continue to strain the ability of domestic carriers to sustain operations and expand their networks. Aviation sector experts who spoke with LEADERSHIP said Nigerian airlines are grappling with rising operating…
Customers re-fuel their cars at a petrol station as Brent crude oil prices hit $100 per barrel for the first time since May on July 23, 2026 in London, England. Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images The U.K.’s annual inflation rate jumped to 3.1% in August, pushed up by surging gasoline and…
Internet access price hikes worry the Competition Commission. (Graphic: Nicola Mawson | GenAI and Competition Commission) While internet connectivity, which the Competition Commission considers an essential service, has become more expensive, the increase pales in comparison with the surge in transport costs. Increases of 4.1% for wireless and 3.5% for wired internet services rising at…
The Huawei logo at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in July 2026. Go Nakamura/Reuters China’s Huawei Technologies reported a 36% plunge in first-half net profit on Monday as soaring input costs and heavier spending on research and development outweighed revenue growth. The Shenzhen-based tech and telecoms giant said net profit for January to…
Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Antoine Marie Kajangwe, has called for African countries to reduce taxes, fees and levies on air travel, saying high costs are limiting movement and business opportunities across the continent. ALSO READ: Kagame criticises expensive air travel in Africa Kajangwe made the remarks during the closing session of the two-day…
Xiaomi announced that the heaviest pressures on its smartphone business have likely passed, even as second-quarter earnings missed analyst projections due to elevated component prices. High memory costs severely squeezed margins across its mobile division, but management expects cost inflation to temper throughout the second half of the year as its fast-growing electric vehicle (EV)…
US prices rose 3.4% in the year to July, slightly lower than the 3.5% in the year to June, new figures show. Energy remained volatile as the Middle East conflict has continued. While gasoline prices were down 2.9% in July compared to June, they were up 24.6% over the year. Month to month, inflation rose…
